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Danks assists cancer awareness initiative

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- John Danks has no problem getting his head shaved every Spring Training, because it's for a great cause such as the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Danks still hopes to be involved with St. Baldrick's, but this season, he's also the White Sox representative for a fundraising program started by Cardinals reliever Jason Motte.

The website 108stitches.com went live on March 17, with 108 Stitches showcasing the strikeout cancer tees in each team's colors. Each is promoted by a different player who agreed to join Motte in a partnership that will benefit multiple charities.

Each participating player has chosen a charity that will benefit from the T-shirt sales and for each shirt sold, $5 will go to the Jason Motte Foundation and $5 to a charity of that player's choice. A full list of recipient charities will be listed on the 108 Stitches website soon, along with a photo of each player rep in his team-colored shirt.

"At the end of the day, it's about reaching people," Motte said. "Baseball is great and everything, but there are other really important things going on out there that affect a lot of people. Wearing these T-shirts shows people that they're not alone. They're not sitting there doing chemo by themselves where no one cares. People do care, whether it's friends, family or baseball players. There are people who this has touched and this has affected. This is something we're trying to do to get the word out there and try to raise money to help."

A second cousin in Danks' family has battled and currently conquered cancer at a young age. So, this initiative, like St. Baldrick's, hits close to home for the southpaw.

"That's something that means a lot to me, kids that are unfortunately put on a spot that they can't help," Danks said. "I feel like I'm blessed not only financially but having kind of a platform. So I try to do what I can to help."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.